Travel Mug

My lathe was feeling neglected because I hadn’t used her in a while, and I needed a unique Christmas gift, so when I saw the travel mug kit at Rockler, I said, “why not”. I have a little experience with segmented turning (see the lamps in my projects), but had never attempted a staved piece. It turned out to be a little easier than I expected. The caveat is that because there wasn’t a dramatic angle from top to bottom of the finished piece, it didn’t require compound miters for the staves. I used Mexican bocote for the top and bottom rings. The staves are hard maple with strips of black veneer for accent between each one. The finish is wipe on poly. One photo with the flash, and one without. You decide which is better.